Adalberto Álvarez has his statue in the Bayamo Wax Museum

May 21, 2024

The wax statue of Cuban musician Adalberto Álvarez was unveiled at the Bayamo Wax Museum after several months of work by its creators.

The image of the composer, arranger and orchestra conductor is the work of artists Rafael Barrios Madrigal and his son Rafael Barrios Milán, and is made of polychrome wax.

The figure shows the "Knight of Son," who died in September 2021 from complications associated with COVID-19, standing upright, dressed in a dark blue suit and holding a güiro in his hand, the instrument that identified him in his concerts.

A report from CMKX Radio Bayamo also indicated that the presentation took place as part of the celebration for International Museum Day.

During it, words were heard from the artist's children, Brayan and Dorgelis Álvarez, who thanked this tribute from a distance and promised to arrive soon in the city of Bayamo to honor their father.

According to the aforementioned media outlet, other musicians from the territory also attended such as maestro Cándido Fabré, José Alberto 'El Ruiseñor', Omar Pupo Sánchez, Arturo Jorge, Ary Rodríguez and the Coro Ismaelillo, poet Juan Manuel Reyes Alcolea, and other creators and the public from the territory.

The unveiling of Álvarez's sculpture and the new museographic design that the Bayamo institution displays gives it "a renovating image from a contemporary perspective that enhances the collection," according to the local media outlet.

Currently, the Bayamo Wax Museum has 27 pieces, representing various personalities from Cuban and international history, politics, sports and culture.

Its collection began in 2004 and among its images are life-size representations of José Martí, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Gabriel García Márquez and Ernest Hemingway, among other figures.

In the case of music, the state institution has sculptures of Benny Moré, Compay Segundo, Bola de Nieve, Juan Formell, Polo Montañés and Sara González, among others.

Several of these images have been harshly criticized by the Cuban public, due to their little resemblance to the personalities. Some of the most controversial cases have been precisely that of the troubadour Sara González or that of the poet from Matanzas Carilda Oliver Labra.